Marcello Nizzoli - Olivetti

You’re not buying a simple vintage object. You’re about to own a piece of the history of Italian industrial, cultural and social excellence. We are putting up for sale the legendary Olivetti Lettera 32 (launched in 1963), complete with its iconic original light blue–green zippered case. A work of art and mechanics that transcends time. In the 1950s and 1960s, Adriano Olivetti’s Ivrea was not just a factory, but a unique cultural and ethical laboratory in the world. Olivetti believed that technology should be democratic and that aesthetics should elevate the human being. The Lettera 32 perfectly embodies this philosophy: a machine designed as “the Olivetti for everyone,” conceived to allow students, intellectuals and journalists to carry their ideas anywhere, free from borders. The bodywork bears the signature of Marcello Nizzoli, one of the fathers of Italian industrial design. Nizzoli is the man who took the heavy, rigid office typewriter and transformed it into an aerodynamic, light, compact shell. With the Lettera 32, he created slender, modern, elegant lines enclosed in a beautiful alloy case painted in the original vibrant yellow-green (apple green). The Lettera 32 was born as the direct mechanical evolution of the legendary Lettera 22. The latter redefined the history of global design by winning the first-ever Compasso d’Oro Award in 1954 and being chosen by the Illinois Institute of Technology as the “best design product of the last 100 years.” Echoing the same stylistic DNA and the same path of excellence, the Lettera 32 has become a pillar of the permanent collections of the world’s most prestigious museums, starting with the MoMA in New York (Museum of Modern Art). It is one of the icons of 20th-century design as it is the machine on which the greatest masterpieces of journalism and literature were born. It was the faithful travel companion of Indro Montanelli, Oriana Fallaci, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and American writer Cormac McCarthy (whose Lettera 32 was auctioned for a record $254,500). The machine presents itself in good aesthetic condition (refer to the detailed photo gallery, which forms an integral part of the description). It is supplied complete with its original light blue–green case with a functioning zipper, a fundamental accessory for preserving its collectible value. Technical Sheet: • Designer: Marcello Nizzoli (Style and Bodywork) / Natale Cappellaro & Adriano Menicanti (Mechanical Design). • Country of production: Italy (Ivrea). • Period: 1960s. • Color: Original yellow-green (apple green) with black keyboard and red accents. A professional service and replacement of the standard 13 mm ink ribbon (easily found on the market) is advised for immediate use. An essential piece for antique collectors, lovers of analog writing, or anyone seeking a prestigious vintage first-rate decorative item to display in the world’s great museums, including MoMA in New York.

Estimate:$1.12

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